Reason To Choose A Solicitor For Advice About Criminal Injury Compensation

Seeking compensation advice from a specialist solicitor about pursuing an award for your criminal injury is vital if you would like to make a successful application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. The majority of claims for criminal injury compensation are now made against the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and the funds are paid from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Making a claim directly against the offender is not always an effective way of receiving compensation for your criminal injuries due to the fact that it is unlikely the offender will have the means to pay the award especially if it runs into thousands of pounds.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority will award compensation to anyone who has a qualifying case after being the innocent victim of a violent crime. There are a number of reasons that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority will refuse to pay an award which is why it is so important to seek compensation advice about claiming for your criminal injury. There are certain procedures you have to follow, after being involved in a crime that caused you to sustain injuries, if you would like to make a successful application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Immediately after the incident you have to notify the police without delay, preferably within 48 hours of the incident occurring. The CICA will not accept your application if you informed the police of the incident days or weeks after it occurred. Unless it is impossible for you to do so, you have to make a report to the police in person and receive a crime reference number as evidence that you did so. If your injuries are so severe that you were unable to give a statement to the police immediately, this will be taken into account by the CICA. Once the incident has been reported to the police you must cooperate fully and help the police bring the responsible party to justice otherwise the CICA will not consider your application.

If you have a criminal record and if you have been convicted of crimes, seeking compensation advice about claiming for your criminal injury is of the utmost importance. If the victim of a violent crime has a criminal record the CICA will take this into consideration when determining if it is appropriate to make a compensation award.

There are a number of other things you will have to discuss with a solicitor prior to submitting your claim for criminal injury compensation to the CICA. Your solicitor will need to know if you had consumed alcohol or drugs prior to the incident as this may affect whether or not the CICA accepts your application – this does not count if you have a sexual assault claim.

If you were the victim of domestic abuse, and if you continue to live with your assailant, the CICA will not pay you compensation. The reason for this is because the assailant is likely to benefit from your compensation if you continue to be in a relationship.

Due to the complexity of claiming compensation it is extremely important you to seek advice from a reputable solicitor about the process of applying for compensation for your criminal injury. A specialist CICA solicitors will be able to help you establish if you are likely to receive compensation.

Assault Claim Experts is an extremely reputable firm of personal injury solicitors that specialises in the field of assisting victims of violent crime.